Language+and+Prejudice+Group+3

=**Language, Prejudice, and Society**=

John, Tara, Edolla and Catherine
Reaction questions inspired by reading our group articles: **Danger: Offensive Stereotypes Included!** What are stereotypes? Are stereotypes true? How does language contribute to stereotypes? How do stereotypes get perpetuated? Are some stereotypes considered funny, while others are considered in poor taste? If so, does language help determine this? Are we always conscious of pop culture's celebration of stereotypes? Are all stereotypes bad? @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e641aQp8zGI @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZw-UnzFJPU @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTchUep_bmg @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQj6HCeXlMg@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d18mZzBQf0@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-L_bJAJA-E@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SJZZ__zqoo&feature=related@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asH_mixm4bM@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKAcl_5jMBo&feature=related@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpZtL6rCeGY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTchUep_bmg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOFFd49cB_8
 * Question:**
 * Watch:**

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1202957/what_are_stereotypes_how_do_they_begin.html?cat=49 http://www.in-mind.org/issue-5/are-stereotypes-true.html //http://www.twotowns.org/language,stereotypes,&communication.html http://www.kansan.com/news/2007/sep/04/hirschfeld/
 * Read:**


 * Respond:**//

Language as a Political Instrument
According to Baldwin (1979), language is “proof of power” (1). Language both reveals one's private identity and connects one to or divorces one from the communal identity (1). When one speaks, one is laying everything out on the table. With so much being revealed by language, power or control comes into play; everyone wants his or her personal language to be the accepted language. It is not only a person’s race that is being judged or oppressed but it is a person’s language //. For example, a friend of mine has a very strong Long Island accent. When she first went to college, she heard over and over again the ridicule and comments about her accent. Fortunately, my friend is very comfortable with the way she speaks and she is not embarrassed by the way she speaks. But some people judge her as soon as she speaks—they automatically go to the stereotype of a Long Island girl before they even get to know her.
 * Response:**

We'd also like to you to consider the notion that an entire community of people can be oppressed by language by reading an excerpt from Brian Friel's play "Translations" (2009, p286). Friel's play is set in an Irish-speaking community in County Donegal in 1833. In the play, the English men come to County Donegal to give everything English names, only one man can translate between Irish and English:

HUGH. …But remember that words are signals, counters. They are not immortal. And it can happen—to use an image you’ll understand—it can happen that a civilization can be imprisoned in a linguistic contour which no longer matches the landscape of…fact. Gentlement. [//He leaves// .] OWEN. ‘An// expeditio// with three purposes’: the children laugh at him: he always promises three points and he never gets beyond A and B. YOLAND. He’s an astute man. OWEN. He’s bloody pompous. YOLLAND. But so astute. OWEN. And he drinks too much. Is it astute not to be able to adjust for survival? Enduring around truths immemorially posited—hah! YOLLAND. He knows what’s happening. OWEN. What is happening? YOLLAND. I’m not sure. But I’m concerned about my part in it. It’s an eviction of sorts. OWEN. We’re making a six-inch map of the country. Is there something sinister in that? YOLLAND. Not in— OWEN. And we’re taking place-names that are riddled with confusion and— YOLLAND. Who’s confused? Are people confused? OWEN. —and we’re standardizing those names as accurately and as sensitively as we can. YOLLAND. Something is being eroded


 * What do you think this excerpt from the play is saying in terms of language as proof of power?**

Reference: Brian Friel. 2009. Translations. In John P. Harrington (Ed.),// Modern and Contemporary Irish Drama// (pp. 255-308). New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

--Tara //

This notion of language as proof of power reminds me of an excerpt from James Gee’s “The New Literacy Studies and the ‘Social Turn’” ([]). In Section 4’s “Analyzing Language”, Gee examines interviews of two different females: one is a university anthropologist and the other, a middle school teacher. The university professor’s responses to the interviewer’s questions are deemed worldly while founded in global research and statistics, whereas the middle school teacher voices a more superficial and personal concern for the local individual. In short, the middle school teacher’s responses are less valued or credible, as she is assumed from the get go to have “lower status and less prestigious knowledge” based on position.

On another occasion, in class today, two of my 5th grade girls were mimicking their teachers and talking in made-up teacher voices. The first complained to the second about students' poor test scores, to which the other responded with much animation. While engaging in this pretend, very entertaining dialogue, both spoke in high-pitched, proper British accents, which is interesting, because we have no British teachers at our middle school located in the heart of Chinatown. Actually, the teacher who they would have been imitating (having just returned their quizzes) has a heavy Dominican accent. Admittedly, any other accent would not be as effective when trying to portray the general know-it-all, snooty, highly-educated teachers that they were acting out. -Kate

**Adult Literacy**

**Questions:**
What are some factors that contribute to high or low literacy rates in adults? How does adult literacy affect/influence literacy in children and adolescents? What can we as teachers do to help?


 * Respond:**

Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lByDfPOG0LA

Read:
http://www.coe.iup.edu/ace/PAACE%20Journal%20PDF/PDF2007/Baptiste2007.pdf http://faculty.tc.columbia.edu/upload/srj2102/LivingPovertyandLiteracyLearning.pdf http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-5/poverty.htm

Should 'Huckleberry Finn' remain in the classroom?
Writers usually explore elements of fantasy or social aspects of the society in their work. In addition to Huckleberry Finn, here are some other books which caused objection when introduced in the classroom.

· **//Harry Potter//** series, by J.K. Rowling, for its focus on wizardry and magic. · **//Alice//** series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, for being sexually explicit, using offensive language and being unsuited to age group. · **//"The Chocolate War"//** by Robert Cormier, for using offensive language and being unsuited to age group. · **//"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"//** by Maya Angelou, for sexual content, racism, offensive language, violence and being unsuited to age group. · **//"Taming the Star Runner"//** by S.E. Hinton, for offensive language. · **//"Captain Underpants"//** by Dav Pilkey, for insensitivity and being unsuited to age group, as well as encouraging children to disobey authority. · **//"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"//** by Mark Twain, for racism, insensitivity and offensive language. · **//"Bridge to Terabithia"//** by Katherine Paterson, for offensive language, sexual content and occult/Satanism. · **//"Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry"//** by Mildred D. Taylor, for insensitivity, racism and offensive language. · **//"Julie of the Wolves"//** by Jean Craighead George, for sexual content, offensive language, violence and being unsuited to age group.

I’m not familiar with all the books on this list, but I don’t see a problem with introducing any of these books into a classroom. Perhaps with the exception of the //Harry Potter// series: there are so many books in that series and they are all so long (confession: I love the series). What is that series at its core though? It’s the story of an orphaned teenager and his friends as they get swept up into a fight of good versus evil. Say what you will about the series, but I think this quote from Voldermont about why Harry is the chosen one is so telling:

"The Boy Who Lived. How lies have fed your legend, Harry. Shall I reveal what really happened that night 13 years ago? Shall I divulge how I truly lost my powers? Yes, shall I? It was love. You see, when dear sweet Lily Potter gave her life for her only son...she provided the ultimate protection. I could not touch him. It was old magic. Something I should have foreseen. But no matter, no matter. Things have changed. I can touch you...now!" (This quote is from the film version of //Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince//). Who can really object to a story where good prevails and mother’s love is so powerful?

Books need to earn their place in the classroom. Defending our selections to parents and administrators isn’t necessarily bad. I think a lot of the hysteria over literature is rooted in ignorance. Teachers should be ready to explain their book selections to parents and even involve them in classroom activities. I think having parents read a text along with students would prove to be an extremely valuable experience — I realize this could prove too idealistic to implement but I think it’s worth the effort; banning books and talk of censorship makes my blood boil. If they read Angelou or Hinton, maybe they’ll change their mind. At the very least, they’ll read a good book. — Jen

//**Questions:**//
//How will removing works such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//, //To Kill a Mockingbird// or //Of Mice and Men// help when there are worse portrayal of blacks in the entertainment sector? Should works that capture aspects of history be removed?

Respond:
I don't think that removing works such as Huck Finn //and// To Kill a Mockingbird //etc. will help anyone. These works need to be examined and taught for their historical value. I loved the article on how Cherry Hill dealt with the teaching of// Huck Finn //I think this model of sensitivity, of looking at texts for their historic and literary value is an important aspect of being an ELA teacher. We aren't just teaching kids to read and write, we're teaching them to be good members of society. -Lauren//

Just to play a bit of a devil's advocate, perhaps we need to code-switch a bit as teachers in terms of introducing appropriate subject matters in our classroom. Just as we might not allow students to use the "n" word in a social context within our classrooms, maybe we should avoid readings with harmful portrayals of blacks, even though students may encounter worse portrayals in the entertainment sector (in other words, though students may be exposed to certain things at home or with friends, doesn't mean we should allow them to bring them with them into the classroom). My point is, how do we distinguish which racially heavy subjects are appropriate for our classroom and which should be prohibited? -Shana

Read:
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article758261.ece http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/36859/negative_images_in_the_media_lead_to.html?cat=9

**Listen:**
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=18547496&m=18547025


 * Response to articles:**

We teach Huckleberry Finn, //To Kill a Mockingbird// and //Of Mice and Men// in my school. We have never had a problem. No parents ever complained and no students ever felt offended. Why not? Context. When teaching these three novels (or any text for that matter) you cannot ignore the historical context of the literature and expect students to appreciate, understand and enjoy what they are reading. You must teach them why. Kids will very easily pick up on and understand the social and historical contexts of why offensive language is being used. All you have to do is explain it. These novels would not have found their place in the American canon if they were not the beautiful and accurate depictions of a time and a place that they are. Language is an integral part of this beauty and accuracy, however uncomfortable it may be. A thoughtful and educated instructor can easily teach away the discomfort. This is addressed in the debate article, []. John Foley suggests replacing these novels with //Lonesome Dove// and //Going After Cacciato.// What makes Foley think that the eras depicted in these novels are any more accessible to our students than those he wishes to replace? Did cowboys and soldiers use less offensive language? I’m guessing that Foley does not have any Vietnamese students. //I read Tim O’Brien’s// The Things They Carried //as well as// To Kill a Mockingbird// with my sophomores. They would have a hard time deciding which novel they prefer. It’s very presumptuous to assume that our students are more interested in cowboys and Vietnam than they are in slavery and the Great Depression. -Catherine

In To Kill A Mockingbird, Calpurnia is an excellent example of a woman who learned to code-switch lest she be judged by the white society in which she worked or the black society in which she lived and worshiped. Calpurnia's ability to code-switch is recognized by Scout, who describes it as speaking "two languages," and explained by Calpurnia:

“That’s why you don’t talk like the rest of ‘em,” said Jem. “The rest of who?” “Rest of the colored folks. Cal, but you talked like they did in church…” That Calpurnia led a modest double life never dawned on me. The idea that she had a separate existence outside our household was a novel one, to say nothing of her having command of two languages. “Cal,” I asked, “why do you talk nigger-talk to the – to your folks when you know it’s not right?” “Well in the first place I’m black –“ “That doesn’t mean you hafta talk that way when you know better,” said Jem. Calpurnia tilted her hat and scratched her head, then pressed her hat down carefully over her ears. “It’s right hard to say,” she said. “Suppose you and Scout talked colored-folks’ talk at home it’d be out of place, wouldn’t it? Now what if I talked white-folks’ talk at church, and with my neighbors? They’d think I was puttin’ on airs to beat Moses.” -Catherine

Catherine, this is an amazing example in literature about code-switching and should be something we all should use when discussing the subject with our students, especially those in high school. I am quite interested with the line from Jem: "That doesn't mean you halfta talk that way when you know better." I feel this is the mentality of those who see SE as the right way to speak and write, and I also think that if someone is able to get the majority of people to see that SE and Ebonics are just different and not better vs inferior (respectively), people would still ask this question. Why use Ebonics if you could use SE, especially if you know better? The idea of being multi-lingual needs to become more inherent in this country's everyday thought. - Matt Duffy

Myths about Language.
http://www.geocities.com/yvain.geo/dialects.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOltf7rS-mM&feature=related


 * Respond:

The dialect map is fascinating. I'm from California originally and when I moved to the northeast in elementary school I quickly realized I used different words than my new classmates. Even after years living on this coast I still retain a lot of the dialect I learned when I was learning to speak. When visiting London a while back- the first thing someone asked me was if I was from California. Take a look at the actor Peter Sellers giving an audio tour of English accents in practically one breath- [|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLsVh6Qrpew] -Bryan **